Starting this thread of things that I have found/learned for dove hunting over the years to make a hunt more enjoyable or successful for those who may be looking for some. Please feel free to add y’all’s as well, I always enjoy learning from y’all.

• Wear hearing protection, I’m only 20 and my hearing is already diminishing from years of bird hunting without it. I also get headaches from repeated firing without ear protection and hunting with a pounding head is no fun.

• If you aren’t accustomed to high volume shotgun shooting wear a padded shirt or padded shooting vest to keep from getting fatigued from recoil.

• Dove have very good eyesight, wearing natural colors or camo matches to the terrain can be very helpful.

• Snap shooting dove has been more successful for me over the years as opposed to a prolonged swing while they’re still along way off.

• When shouldering your shotgun start swinging while you’re shouldering so that you already have some leas established once you are on your gun.

• If you’re missing dove odds are you’re shooting behind them so lead them some more and follow through with your swing. Keep your cheek welded to the stock the entire time as well.

• When a flock of birds is approaching, don’t shoot into the middle of them and hope for the best, single one bird out to focus on and stay on it the entire time your shotgun is shouldered/you’re shooting. For me, I always pick the lead bird because if I don’t have enough lead, there’s a chance of picking up omg of the birds behind it.

• Don’t waist your third shot, it has been my observation of others and myself, that if a dove escapes the first two shots without a hit a majority of the time the third shot won’t fair much better.

• Be mindful of birds that aren’t dove especially scissor tails, purple martins, and mocking birds. These three species make me do double takes most often.

• Once a bird is on the ground, don’t shoot another one until that one is recovered. I make this mistake every year and end up with two downed birds in opposite directions and it can be troublesome locating both.

• If it possible, always bring a backup shotgun. The last thing you want is a malfunction to cost you a great dove hunt. Also bring plenty of shells, running out while birds are still flying good and you don’t have a full limit is never fun.

• Mojo decoys work great if you’re hunting over a stock tank or birds coming into a field to eat, but won’t be much help if birds are flying high on fly zones. The battery powered one is the way to go.

I hope these help somebody, I know some of them seem like common sense, but maybe they will help someone. Please share if y’all have any.

Watch for snakes.

And make sure your gun has got a plug if it applies.

Drink plenty of water.

Bring an extra cooler with a bag of ice for your birds so you're not leaving them out to spoil in the heat.

FIFY

When you get older, you can add to not get too excited because it may not be a dove, but just a floater. You may have to google that.

+1 to both

take a chair, cooler, shotgun, shells and your favorite people to be around. Don't worry about the rest.

Ditto on the mojo's Wear sunscreen!

check to make sure you have your license before loading your gun (actually before leaving the house)

Those are some great tips, thanks for posting! Great luck to everyone on their dove hunts!

Please don't forget to pick up after yourself. My hubby and I have loaded up so many bags of trash. Spent shells, beer cans, etc. Respect the land you hunt on.

I have half a limit fairly constantly most days.

I made myself something like the from an old speaker magnet and a popup tent rod.

X10! We stress this to folks every year, but there is always tons of trash left behind. Pretty big peev of mine. I'll never understand how people can be that disrespectful on someone else's property. So every year after the big opener I'll load a little trailer and trash barrel up to the ATV or UTV, grab my kids, and we'll go around behind everyone and clean up. If not, it'll only cause problems for all us. SMDH.

Don't miss

Dove hunting today, folks from yesterday did not clean up very well...losers in my book. I policed the area when done

Be careful about hunting near deer feeders with corn on the ground.